LoHud Baseball Power Rankings: FINAL edition of 2014

Baseball has been over for a week now, so it's time for me to release my final rankings of 2014. These represent where each team stood at season's end and should determine bragging rights for the offseason. As we get closer to the 2015 season, I'll come up with rankings heading into the new year...

TOP 10 OVERALL

1. Ketcham (23-4) – It’s rare for a team to finish at No. 1 after spending the majority of the season occupying the top spot, but the Indians have done just that. They were considered the team to beat in Class AA from start-to-finish (along with Arlington) and they never wavered. Ketcham left no doubt in Section 1, beating two-time defending champ Arlington 9-4 in the semis and Fox Lane 9-2 in the final. From there, the Indians went onto win a regional title before a tough loss to Shenendehowa in the state semis. Of all of the teams in the final top 10, it’s the most difficult to pinpoint any weaknesses when you look at Ketcham. Previous ranking: 1

2. Rye Neck (25-2-1) – This is the highest that I’ve ever ranked a Class B team, but I’ve never seen a small school group like this. The Panthers rode the best pitching staff in the area – that’s right, I said, “the best” – to the state championship game, where they ran into a hot pitcher and lost a 3-1 heartbreaker. Three runs was the most that they allowed in any of their previous seven playoff games, which tells you how good the pitching was down the stretch. With nine seniors in its lineup and an outstanding defensive club, I believe that Rye Neck could have competed for a section title in any class. Need more proof? In a regular season meeting with eventual Class A champ Rye, the Panthers prevailed 7-0. PR: 7

3. Rye (23-5) – In reality, there were three local teams deserving of the No. 1 ranking this season. And with the way the Garnets were playing at the end of the season, we have every reason to believe that they were capable of beating either Ketcham or Rye Neck on a given day. The biggest difference between Rye and the other two local teams that went to Binghamton was probably pitching depth, but the Garnets’ one-two punch of George Kirby and Luke Meyerson may have been the best in the area. Rye also featured at least three Division 1-caliber bats in its lineup, giving the program perhaps the best team in its history. PR: 9

4. Fox Lane (18-6) – After the top three, the next team in line was a pretty tough call, but if pitching is the name of the game, few did it as well as the Foxes. A team historically known for offense, Fox Lane was forced to reinvent itself after losing seven of its nine regulars for the ’13 Class AA runner-up squad, and it did so with at least five quality arms. As the pitching staff, the Foxes had a 2.04 ERA while holding opponents to a .195 BA and averaging more than a strikeout per inning. They defied the odds and returned to the section title game with a team that played a completely different brand of baseball. PR: 4

5. Lakeland (15-8-1) – The Hornets certainly had their ups-and-downs, but you can’t deny that they were one of the best in the area when it mattered most. Going into the playoffs, the most dominant team in the area had been Beacon, which received the No. 1 seed in the Class A playoffs. But Lakeland knocked off the Bulldogs in the quarterfinals and handed them two of their three losses this season. The Hornets also nearly pulled off a comeback in a dramatic 6-5 loss to Rye in the section final and proved to have one of the most talented teams in the section. Chris DiDomizio was one of the best big-game pitchers in the area, twice out-dueling Section 1 pitcher of the year Tony Romanelli. PR: 10

6. Beacon (19-3) – On the days when Tony Romanelli pitched, you could go ahead and move the Bulldogs to the top spot on this list. And even without the best pitcher in the section on the mound, they were still pretty darn good, particularly because of a power-laden lineup. No local team had a more impressive regular season. Beacon ran into a hot Lakeland team that simply seemed to have its number in the playoffs, but that doesn’t change the fact that this was a tremendously accomplished – and dangerous – group. PR: 2

7. Arlington (16-7) – The Admirals didn’t dominate in the fashion that some may have expected them to after back-to-back Class AA titles, but this was a team that no one in the state wanted to face. Their lineup could be downright scary, and they turned out to have three strong arms Matt Hunt, Joe DeRosa and Kyle Ackley. Oh by the way, they were the only team in the area to have a guy drafted when catcher Drew Lugbauer was taken by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 21st round. PR: 5

8. Kennedy (21-11) – In their first year in the CHSAA, the Gaels proved to be the best local school in their division and reached the equivalent of the catholic league final four. Led by a lineup that I could make a case for as the best in the area, Kennedy pummeled several opponents during the season. The middle of its lineup, led by Jason Agresti and Alex Volpi, could flat-out mash. The only other team in this top 10 that the Gaels played was Arlington (a loss), but I’d be curious to see how they’d fare against some of the teams ranked ahead of them. PR: 6

9. Byram Hills (17-5-1) – The Bobcats didn’t achieve the same postseason glory as Rye, but let’s not forget that they split with the eventual Class A champs and shared a league title with them (and Fox Lane). Scott Saunders has established a winning tradition, as Byram has reached the semis in each of the past three seasons. The Bobcats were a team that did everything well and may end up being the favorite next season after fielding mostly juniors and sophomores this year. PR: 8

10. Suffern (17-6) – The Mounties round out the top 10 after a run to the Class AA semis, edging out a few of their Rockland rivals for the final spot. Coming off of a down year in which it finished under .500, Suffern bounced back in a big way, led by ace John Saviano and a strong pitching staff. The bats came around at the right time to back up the pitching, and the Mounties were able to rejoin the Section 1 elite. PR: Not ranked

On the fringe: Clarkstown North (14-8), John Jay (13-9-1), Mamaroneck (14-8), North Rockland (16-6), North Salem (22-2)

NOTES:Ketcham at No. 1 was the obvious choice, and while I could have made a case for Arlington or Fox Lane at No. 2, I went with the Foxes because they went one round further in the playoffs and ended up with a couple more wins. A head-to-head meeting would have given us a more definitive answer for who the second-best AA team was, but they never played… The top three is followed by three Rockland teams, with Suffern taking No. 4 thanks to its run to the semis. The Mounties split with North Rockland, which swept Clarkstown North, but it’s worth noting that North swept Suffern. Those three formed a strong trio in League IV-A… You could certainly argue that New Ro deserves to be ranked ahead of Mamaroneck after edging the Tigers for a League II-B title, but they split in their head-to-head meetings, with Mamo’s win being a double-digit rout and New Ro’s win being an extra innings nail-biter. Tough call, but with the Tigers going one round further in the playoffs – thanks to a win over one of the best pitchers in the section (Mahopac’s Kevin Kernan) – I gave them a slight edge… Carmel sneaks into the top 10 after upsetting second-seeded New Ro in the playoffs, but that’s not the only reason. The Rams were inconsistent while playing a brutal schedule, but they were capable of big wins, as we also saw with a regular season win over Arlington… Since Mahopac swept Carmel, the Indians come in at No. 9. They were also only one of two local AA teams to beat Ketcham.

NOTES: The top four remain the same; the order has just been jumbled. Rye earned the top spot thanks to a brilliant postseason run, and after its second win of the season over previous No. 1 Beacon, Lakeland had to be the second-ranked team in the final poll of the season. No doubt, the Bulldogs were a section championship-caliber team, but after failing to make it out of the quarterfinals, No. 3 was probably the highest that I could have ranked them… Byram and John Jay round out the top five, and while the Indians aren’t sporting the same type of winning percentage as the rest, there’s no denying that they were a legitimate contender. They had arguably the scariest offense in the class and came within one run of taking out Rye in the semis… For much of the season, TZ looked like a top five team, but couldn’t fulfill its promise in the playoffs. The Dutchmen reached the quarterfinals, but you can’t help but wonder if they would have gone further if ace Chris Monaco was fully available… Once again, Eastchester followed up a strong regular season with a relatively early playoff exit, getting trounced by John Jay in the quarters. The Eagles have some talent and an all-time great coach in Dom Cecere, but it would be nice to see them play a tougher regular season schedule in preparation for the postseason… Panas really shook things up this year, edging out eventual Class A finalist Lakeland for a league title and picking up some very impressive wins along the way. A couple of late season injuries hurt the Panthers, but they still managed to get a playoff win… Nyack took its lumps while playing a tough schedule, but you could argue that the Indians belong higher on this list. After all, they swept sixth-ranked TZ. They ran into an emerging Lakeland team in the first round, but this scrappy group is heading in the right direction… Ardsley finishes off the top 10, but the Panthers will be back in Class B next season and will be a legitimate section title threat with some talented juniors returning. I think something good happened for them the last time that they were in B...

NOTES: We finally got the chance to see Rye Neck and North Salem get after it on the field, and the Panthers proved that they are the class of Section 1 – and one of the best in the state. But it’s hard to imagine having two stronger small school teams atop the rankings. Combined, they lost a total of four games out of 52… Put Valley was No. 3 for most of the season, but Keio leapfrogs the Tigers thanks to an extra innings win over them in the quarterfinals. Next year, it could be the Unicorns who start the season atop the rankings. They did not have a single senior starter by year’s end… Valhalla was shaky for about three-quarters of the season, but everything came together in the end. The Vikings went further than any double-digit seed in any class, upsetting Albertus Magnus and Briarcliff on a surprise run to the semis. Thanks to those head-to-head wins, I had to jump them ahead of those two teams… Westlake and Croton each picked up first round wins, so those teams remain at Nos. 8 and 9. Both programs made strides this season.

CLASS C

1. Haldane (13-10) PR: 2

2. Tuckahoe (13-6) PR: 1

3. Solomon Schechter (9-7) PR: 3

4. Hamilton (0-16) PR: 4

NOTES: I’ve written all season that this was the toughest since I’ve been around to pick a No. 1 in Class C, and after a thrilling extra-inning section final, we saw why. Haldane and Tuckahoe were as closely matched as we’ve seen in recent years, but in the end, it was the Blue Devils who came through with their third straight title. (Although, a certain controversial play at first base in the championship will live in infamy at Tuckahoe.) This was coach Tom Virgadamo’s most inexperience group of this three-year run, but clearly, it was a mistake to move them out of the top spot after some early-season losses.

CATHOLICS/PRIVATES

1. Kennedy (21-11) PR: 1

2. Salesian (18-9) PR: 2

3. Iona Prep (16-11) PR: 3

4. Sacred Heart (16-3) PR: NR

5. Rye Country Day (14-9) PR: 5

On the fringe: Hackley (12-8), Harvey (7-4), Stepinac (9-14)

NOTES:Despite only ranking five teams here, this was one of the toughest sets to decide on. On one hand, Kennedy, Salesian and Iona Prep each had strong seasons in the CHSAA AA Division, which, in my opinion, is by far the most competitive local catholic/private league. But we also had teams such as Sacred Heart and RCDS go on big runs in other leagues, with each advancing to their respective title games and Scared Heart winning the whole thing. Ultimately, I had to consider how these teams would fare if they played head-to-head, and I just believe that the CHSAA AA teams had more depth… Kennedy was clearly the No. 1 team out of that group, going 3-1 against Salesian and Iona Prep and advancing the furthest in the playoffs. Salesian swept Iona and advanced to the winners bracket for the first time in program history.

Sports reporter:
Vincent Z. Mercogliano has been with lohud and The Journal News since March 2010. He graduated from New Rochelle High School in 2005 and from Hofstra University in 2009 with a degree in broadcast journalism. He currently covers boys soccer, wrestling and baseball, while assisting with LoHud’s Yankees coverage. He also enjoys the outdoors, good music and a wide variety of sandwiches.